Young golf stars book trip to the US headline

TWO junior golfers from Donabate Golf Club have come to the fore in the qualification rounds of the American Golf Junior Championship. 

Contested over 18 holes at Swords Golf Club, the championship qualifier saw Luke Mitchell and Kate Hanratty pull out some fantastic golf to book a spot on the plane to the final at Gainsborough Golf Club, headquarters to golf manufacturer Ping. 

They will now line up against qualifiers from all over the UK and Ireland on August 16 to stake a claim for the title.

Leading the way was Luke Mitchell, who took top spot in the Boys’ Handicap category. Luke put in a hugely impressive round, coming in with 46 points, edging out Roganstaown Golf Club’s Ryan Murray who finished two points behind. 

Donabate’s second qualifier was Kate Hanratty, who will be repeating her 2016 final appearance after securing second place in the Girls’ Handicap competition. 

Kate finished the round with an accomplished 39 points, two off the lead, but enough to give her a second shot at the Girls’ title.

Daniel Gathercole, Director of Marketing and Communications at American Golf, said:

“This is the fourth year for the Junior Championships. The Irish qualifiers are always incredibly strong, giving us our eventual Girls and Boys’ winners in the last two years.

 

“I’m sure this year’s crop of youngsters will be just the same and also show us the sportsmanship and positive attitude that we’ve got used to seeing. 

“We can’t wait to get these great young golfers over to Gainsborough for the final and, with the help of Ping, make it a truly memorable event.

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Entry to all of the American Golf Championships, including the Junior Championships, is completely free and is part of the nationwide retailer’s drive to promote the sport and get more people out playing golf more often.